Here is a list of all our current house rules. I'll try to explain my rationale behind each choice. Some of this is happening because we are also testing the iPhone apps I'm writing and need to make sure that things flow smoothly. Some of it is just a matter of flavor. We try to keep the action moving and tend to lean more towards narrative. Some of these changes are really "gamey", but it works for us. I'd love to hear if you guys house rule anything and why.
- monsters will be reduced in total hit points by 25-50% - pc's hp stays the same
Combat in 4e is very pokey. The universal solution to this seems to be, reduce monster hit points down and/or use more minions.
- monsters will do 1 die class larger in damage (d4s become d6s, d6s become d8s) - pc's damage stays the same
Monsters need a little more punch typically to get through all the healing surges that PCs bring to the table. With the “weeble wobble” nature of Defenders this isn’t as scary as it might seem at first. Sure, there is a lot more healing flying around, but I like the flavor.
- you can spend an action point to count any d20 roll as an automatic success
Missing on a daily power that needs a hit to activate is just heartbreaking. We toyed with the idea that Dailies always connect, but it seemed too powerful. This way you can choose to guarantee success, but not without a slight cost.
- you can spend an action point on a "action card"
Action Cards are a home brew solution that allow action points provide a little more leverage. They are randomly distributed and then players can trade among themselves. They are basically rule breaking actions like “free standard action” or “use a healing surge” or “double damage”. I’ll try to post them up here soon.
- natural 20 is automatic max damage or total success
- natural 1 is the worst possible outcome or automatic miss/fail
We don’t use crit/fumble tables so this tends to hit a nice middle ground.
- at the beginning of the encounter all monsters stats will be revealed and a dungeoneering or nature roll will determine how much information is revealed with a bare minimum of hp
We just all feel that the players can make better choices when they know exactly what they are up against. I usually don’t reveal “powers” until the creature uses them in combat.
- as we learn the system, players can change powers around to better suit their understanding of the game
- gold can be spent freely on any items from legal WOTC sources. So potions, gear, everything is for sale. If it's a really powerful item we spend the gold and then the item shows up in the next treasure bundle.
Ah, I almost forgot. I also use Conflex for skill challenges. It's pretty good stuff.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/16557465/Conflex-Skill-Challenge-System
I like the idea of the "mix and match" action cards, and the "action point for success" mechanics. May have to steal those at some point.
ReplyDeleteAs for house rules in my game, we've got a couple fairly minor ones, both stolen from GM advice in other places:
1. We started doing an "MVP" at the end of each game, where the players vote to see who gets the MVP sash. The MVP sash was actually *made* by one of my players, and at the next session, the MVP gets three bonus abilities that they have to use by the end of the game, rolled on the following chart:
Energized: Gain one bonus action point
Accurate: +1d6 to attack
Powered Up: +1d6 to damage
Lucky: Reduce the damage of an enemy hit (even a crit) by half, after damage is rolled
Resilient: Turn a failed saving throw into a success
Resourceful: Regain a used encounter power before the encounter is up
Rescuer: Allow a downed ally to roll a 20 on their death save
Quick: Move half your speed, but treat it as a shift, for one round
Stalwart: Negate one push, pull, slide or knocked prone effect
Sturdy: Gain a bonus healing surge, which you can use immediately, even if you have already used your second wind, or save for later as a standard healing surge
This is seeming a *bit* overkill for me, though, so I'll probably scale back/change the rewards in my other campaign.
2. This is brand new, taken from something Dave read in John Wick's book. When someone does something cool or gets a role-playing award, I toss them a poker chip. They can then use that chip at any point to add a +1 to any roll. They can use as many chips as they want. Some GMs might want to set limits, so far it's too early to see if I need that.
I too stole the whole poker chip thing last night, and I think the added incentive for role-play was nice and I think players really just like being rewarded.
ReplyDeleteI have to think about other house rules, as I like the idea of having something like the MVP thing, but starting small might be the way to go for me.
I also wanted to pass on that I took Randy's idea and ran with it. Check it out at http://blog.kbarapps.com/2009/08/pen-and-paper-tools/
ReplyDeleteWow, these are going to be super-useful in my campaign. Thanks, Kevin!
ReplyDeleteBtw, Ben has taken to using the "poker chip" idea, but instead of poker chips, he gives out a small d6. You can then use the d6 on any roll.